Libraries/Bookstores – So I’m a library kid but it’s so enjoyable to just wander around looking at HUNDREDS of books and knowing all the possibilities and looking through different books that you’ve either heard about or not.

Release day Delivery – So I love deliveries, it feels like Christmas and opening presents but there’s just that big more excitement when it’s a book you’ve anticipated and it’s the first day you can get it.

Cover reveals – I think it’s really enjoyable to finally know what the cover looks like and if it has any relation to the series such as the Lunar Chronicles.

New book feel/smell – I think everyone likes this

Buttery covers – I think it’s so appealing when a cover feels nice. I like the embossed covered but I really like it when they’re so smooth and soft and you jus can’t stop touching them

Comfy reading while raining – I normally watch vlogs or listen to music by when you have the soundtrack of rainfall I really enjoy it and it’s so peaceful.

Seeing someone reading a book you like – I’m not quite brave enough to go up and ask them what they think of the book plus I hate it when people try to interrupt; but it’s really nice to see others reading for me because I don’t know anyone who reads books similar to me.

Recognising a quote – This is like a mutual bond and instantly makes a connection.

When spines match on your shelf – It’s just so satisfying when publishers go out of their way to make covers and spines match but even cooler when the spines make an image such as Harry Potter.

Finding someone who shares your love of books – So I recently found BookAmino and it’s so enjoyable to just talk about something I love with someone who shares the same passion.

This review is just so negative but this is how I feel and I’m going to write about it. I know so many people who love the things I didn’t about it and it’s just my feelings but depending on your perspective it think it’s easy to be on the fence about it. Overall it was just a massive disappointment because I loved the first book SOOOO much and this just didn’t live up to it and the parts I enjoyed abut the first book weren’t present

Characters

Kestrel – I love her brain and her thought process but I hate her brain and her thought process. I love the strategy and the way to weave the lies but when it gets involved in emotions it’s just unbearable.

Arin – He is such a whiney baby and I just want to sort him out. He needs someone to baby him and that’s just unattractive and unappealing.

Tensen – He was what Arin needed and it was such a breath of fresh air to have someone with perspective and a wiser voice in this story because that was certainly missing.

Vertex – I like him and this is where I wanted the story to go. I admit that he didn’t make enough of an effort with Kestrel and there’s more that I would have like to have known. His character was certainly lacking in areas but I think that was more that there wasn’t enough exploration into him rather than not liking what we have.

The Emperor – I don’t like him more because I understand him and his motives. He’s just the looming character out to spoil everything.

Risha – She’s clearly important and must be a key player but there’s not enough for the amount of time we come back to her.

Roshar – He has an interesting history and development and I really enjoyed his dry and dark sense of humour and it’s just a nice break from the story.

Romance

I hate it! I don’t like the angst and the lies and deceit and just the mess of a web that has been tangled but I don’t find them suitable and there’s no substance for the attraction. However, I don’t know if it’s my fault because it’s been a year since I’ve read The Winner’s Curse but it’s all just a bit flimsy for me.

Setting

The whole realm was explored a bit more and the other kingdoms which was nice but it wasn’t enough to be worthwhile for me.

Story

I didn’t like much of it. The pacing was so slow and uneventful and boring and tiring and it was an absolute slog to get through.

Plot

There wasn’t any for the first 60% of the book. I was just reading for the sake of reading and then there became some substance and meaning.

Writing

There’s nothing special or noteworthy.

Villain

So from what I can gather the Emperor is the bad guy? But I just don’t get it? He’s just a bad guy for the sake of it who wants power and doesn’t want change.

Goal

With the plot being so thin I don’t quite know what the whole point of this actually is.

End

I hated it; I don’t think it was a good end. It’s not what I wanted. It’s thrown a spanner in the works and not in a good way for me.

I will read the last book in the hope of redemption for the series but I just think I’m maybe getting too old for these stories or I’m too fantasy based that nothing can ever compare. I would pick it up if you liked the first book but I warn that they’re a very different kettle of fish.

So I know what happens in Harry Potter overall but I don’t remember the details or anything like that. So it’s nice to have a new experience and see all the things I missed or didn’t realise what was relevant. It was really nice to read such a short and quick book even though I know it doesn’t last for long in this series.

Characters

Harry – Harry is still very weak but he has courage and I don’t think I ever noticed the anger in him before. I’m really interested to see how and if this continues

Ron – I think Ron was rather weak in this book and was just a bit lost in everything. Of course he’s there for Harry and gives him a different perspective but I would just like a bit more development from him as a character.

Hermione – Due to circumstances in the story she is not a prominent feature but even then she is still a vital part of the story and the objective counterparty.

Dobby – He isn’t vital to the series or the book but who doesn’t love Dobby? I know he comes up more in the other books and I really like his addition.

Malfoy – He’s really not a big deal, year he has his quips and annoyances and they think Malfoy is involved but then it sort of falls flat

Dumbledore – I love Dumbledore, I think everyone does but I want him to take a more active interest in Harry as I really enjoy the scenes between the two of them. But I completely understand that so far there isn’t a reason to do this as of yet.

I think the overall thing with this book is that it was more focused on Harry and him figuring things out with some help from Ron and Hermione but they’re not really that focused on and I don’t know whether it’s just this book or because it is only from Harry’s perspective.

Setting

I really like the overall atmosphere of Hogwarts and the surrounding area. I like the detail and how the world and the way things work are completely different with an interesting twist. I like the ghosts and the pictures and the staircases. Simple things just suddenly become magic. The used to say that taking a picture would capture someone’s soul and I think it’s nice that J.K. Rowling has taken this in a literal fashion and made it an interesting concept.

Story

I liked the story overall. I enjoy that each book has one overall problem to deal with and the journey and mystery and solving it. The story is the best part of the Harry Potter books, they’re so well thought out and planned and the linking is really important to it. I enjoy the little snippets of information given to the reader that can allow them to think about their own conclusions. I’ve been reading a lot of books with multiple perspectives that it’s really refreshing to just have the one brain to focus on and experience. I really like that each book is done over a school year, it offers a really nice snapshot and you know how the next book starts and should end. There isn’t really cliff-hangers and mystery, you just know that next time around there will be something for Harry to deal with and you look forward to the story Rowling is going to tell.

Plot

I like the overarching story and how we gain little pieces of information throughout the book about Voldemort and I like that we learn more of his history and who he was before. It really helps build him slowly as a villain. I want a lot more build up to happen and there to be more action soon but that’s just me wanting so much more from the series when it’s right at the beginning and that’s completely unfair.

Writing

I actually listened to the audiobook of this and I like the way Stephen Fry brings life to the characters and the story. I’ve been really busy so it’s much easier to listen to it than try and focus on it. It is a bit simple but it was also a book written for all and that means you can’t get too fancy with it. I really like the flow of the book but the culmination feels very quick just like the first book.

Villain

The series starts out with Voldemort very clearly as the villain even though we don’t know why. In this book we learn more about him and what he is capable of who he was before he became this big bad evil man. I like how we see more of the connection between him and Harry and I hope it’s explored in the future books.

This is quite short but it’s Harry Potter….. most people know about it and so many have read it and know the story and is the reason a lot of my generation read books.

So I read this book as part of a book club and I knew nothing going into it; I’ve never read a Rainbow Rowell book before and since so many people love her I thought I would just try. I was not forewarned that this book has some serious issues in it and I was not ready for it, this book was meant to be a love story and it became sad and upsetting and I felt so sorry for Eleanor throughout the book.

Characters

Eleanor – She has to deal with a lot in her life but I’m not quite sure of her. I don’t like the way she dresses and how’s she’s described but the author focuses so much on the way she looks and not a lot of it is positive. I get that every female protagonist has to be pretty or attractive to do well – I love Kelsea from The Queen of the Tearling and she’s very plain – but they need to have something to them to make me love them. She handles a tough situation and whether or not it’s the correct way I can’t say because it’s unfair to judge that type of situation when you’ve never been in it.

Park – I like Park because he’s a nice guy, there’s not too much else to it. I love comics and his music taste but I always feel sorry for him when he has to deal with Eleanor. His personality changes too often for me and just lacks consistency. I feel bad for him about his relationship with his Dad because I wish he had a better connection with him. The main problem I found with him and his family is that his parents tended to always be on opposite sides so he really only had a meaningful relationship with one of them at a time.

Richie (Eleanor’s Step Dad) – I hate him. He’s an awful person and you know it even though you don’t get much interaction with him.

Sabrina (Eleanor’s mum) – She is a weak women and I really don’t understand why she’s with Richie and I wish we understood that more because without that you really just can’t appreciate her as a mother.

Jamie (Park’s Dad) – He seems like a really solid foundation for the family but you can see the tension that’s still present even though it is a really caring and loving household.

Mindy (Park’s Mum) – I would have liked more from her and for her to be more of a mother figure to Eleanor but with them being so different it was kind of hard. I think Eleanor doesn’t try new things and with her calling make-up fake that really bugged me. I gave up make-up for 6 weeks and make-up can give you confidence and it’s nice to spend the time on yourself and look at yourself in a positive way. I think that Eleanor was really closed minded and didn’t treat Park’s mum in a friendly manner even though she was pleasant and respectful to her she never really made an effort and I think all Mindy wanted was a daughter.

Tina – She’s kind of a red herring, you want to hate her because Eleanor is so obsessed with hating her but I accept she’s unpleasant but I don’t think she has enough to hate her. I also think it’s Eleanor’s fault for not sticking up for herself and just letting her be walked all over. In life there are awful people and it’s not right but you shouldn’t be making it harder for yourself. If you want something you need to put the effort in to get it.

Steve – He was part of the storyline but there wasn’t much else to it. He was kind of just the big guy that grew up with Park but they weren’t friends and he was just sort of attached to Tina.

Romance

I think the word I’m looking for is awkward but it’s 16 year olds…. Of course it’s awkward. It feels like they’re just fumbling through which is part of the charm of the story I think. Neither of them really knows what they’re doing and this can create issues because I constantly just wanted to jump in and help them but it’s a book and I haven’t developed those powers yet.

I struggle to see why they like each other so much. I can understand that they have a connection and they like similar things and they can talk about it but there’s not much depth to their relationship. I met my boyfriend at 17 so I’m in a similar position to many young adult romances and I struggle to feel like they do it well. You can have completely different interests but as long as you agree on a functional and moral level then you can work. Their relationship can feel very flat at times and Eleanor really struggles and it’s uncomfortable to read.

The way their relationship forms is sort of strange as well, it just happens and then suddenly their together. You need to read it to understand it more.

Setting

I like the setting. It being set in the 80s really did add to it. It added to the relationship because of the struggle for them to spend time together. It wasn’t really the main focus of the story but it still added to the overall atmosphere.

Story

The story overall was not what I was expecting and it really took me my surprise and it touched on some pretty tough issues. I can’t talk too much about it because it will ruin it for anyone wanting to read it.

Writing

I was going into this with people saying that Rainbow Rowell has a very distinct style and I just didn’t feel that. I like how she jumps between perspectives and how it flows but I didn’t feel like it was all that special but that could be my fault for going in with a pre-determined opinion. I did, however, manage to read it quite quickly and I never grew bored with it or struggled to focus. I found myself wanting to continue reading on which I sometimes find really different

Ending

So I was unsure about the ending but Rainbow Rowell included a little explanation as to why she wrote it this way. I can’t go into detail as I don’t want to spoil but after reading this I felt content with the ending but I wish there was another story after this and I will miss not knowing. I can’t really write my own ending in my head like I can with other books.

So this was really long and I didn’t think I had that much to write about it but overall I think it’s worth reading but just to brace yourself for some of the situations in it and the language. It’s a young adult book but you are looking at 16 year olds as the demographic.

So I went into this book blind and not really knowing anything about it and it very quickly became strange and I don’t quite know how I feel about that. I normally don’t like to know too much about what books are about because I think it ruins it for me because I always see the twists. I think I would have been better off knowing this story had a fantasy element because that really threw me off.

Characters

Amani – So she’s our main character and she’s had a rough shot at life but I like her determination to do something about it. I don’t think she grows but she does have a few revelations which realty improves her likability.

Jin – The thing I like about Jin is that he has his faults and they’re real not some made up issues and you like him because he’s not too perfect which I’ve found happens a lot with many other YA stories. I think we need more of his backstory and I hope we get more into it because it’s really intriguing.

I can’t really talk about the other characters as we start getting into spoiler territory. I do think it’s important to note that I don’t have a favourite character – that’s not to say I didn’t like the characters but I just had no connection to them to love them. I don’t think you need to have a favourite character for you to read future books but for me the characters are not what I cared about in this book.

Romance

The romantic element isn’t really a part of this book but I think it may grow in the later novels but I think this element was just a bit thrown in there and I wasn’t too sure about it even though I didn’t dislike it.

Setting

I like the setting as it’s different but it did feel very liberal in what the author took from the past and the future and I think that’s ok but it can be quite off-putting. There are a LOT of cities/towns mentioned and it’s hard to keep these in track but it’s not really important but it’s hard to feel sorry for what’s happening to places when you know nothing about them apart from general human empathy.

Story

I have some serious issues with the story because it doesn’t really get to the meat of it until 2/3rds in and I’m glad I found out it was a trilogy because this felt like two different storylines. How it started out isn’t how it ended and I think that’s important to know going into that you’re going to get a more developed storyline in the future.

The one thing I loved was the story tales and the legends that we got I found them so interesting and that they really added to the world and the story and history.

The story is definitely the best part and I will read on for the story rather than the characters and to see what happens to them.

Plot

There wasn’t much of a plot to begin with but as we begin to explore the story more I quickly seen where it was going and I don’t think the twists are that surprising but still enjoyable.

Writing

This was my biggest struggle. I really struggled to follow what was happening at many points in the story and even rereading sections didn’t give me much light into the situation. Some of it felt so backwards and I found it hard to concentrate and figure it out in my head. This may just be a struggle I found but I think it should still be factored in.

Villain

There’s a very obvious villain and I really don’t like him but there are a lot of elements that I think need to be fleshed out a bit more.

Goal

There’s a small victory and the main bulk of the story is starting to happen and I am interested to see where it goes.

Overall I wouldn’t say it is a must read but if you like stories and history and legends then it may be worth a shot. I will read the next book but it’s not something I’m desperate for.